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How can we raise a bilingual child?

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My husband and I are fluent in English and Spanish. We'd like our son to learn both languages, so I speak to him only in Spanish while my husband switches between the two tongues. Have other parents found this a good method or should we try something else?

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I am a native English speaker and I went to Spain as an exchange student for a year in high school, knowing little to no Spanish. I left Spain fluent in Spanish and even got my Spanish Education degree. (I'm not teaching now because of the lack of parental support for my classes, born from the same attitudes that we are seeing here on this message board.)
When I had my daughter (now 16 months), I promised her that I would do my best to make sure that she had all the opportunities to really be successful in life and the world. Part of that, in my opinion, is to teach her Spanish and encourage her to learn as much about the world, other cultures and other languages as she can.
In our house, we have a day (at least once a week) where we don't speak anything but Spanish. (My husband is learning Spanish this way as well.) My daughter doesn't seem confused at all and is picking up both languages pretty well. My only fear now is that she will speak more "Spanglish" than anything, because she is finding that some words are easier in Spanish and some in English are easier and chooses to use the easier word. We encourage her as much as we can and we also say the word in the other language so that she can start to associate the two words. We play her videos in Spanish and English and we have found some bilingual board books that she loves to flip through and they have everything written in English *AND* in Spanish. So there are resources out there, you just have to be on the look out for them. I've found a lot of things at second hand stores, used book stores, the library, and even TJ Maxx. And if there is a local school (high school or college) that teaches the second language that you want your child to learn, a lot of times they will have conversation dinners (where everyone only speaks the other language)in the community. We've also found that in some of the larger cities, you can find children's theatres that will do shows appropriate for your child's age in the second language.
But just as you don't expect a one year old to speak English fluently and with ease (it takes a few years for them to really communicate well), the second language will take some time. But as long as it's something that you value and you work to teach your child as well, your child will speak and understand both the native and second languages. Encourage any words being used (even if they are mixed languages) because as long as your child can communicate with you through language, you'll have plenty of time to model the correct usage of both the native language and the secondary language. Have fun!

I am currently raising my two sons (age 5 and 1) in English and Korean, with some Chinese thrown in (I'm of Chinese descent and my husband is Korean). Both children have started speaking early and have not had any problems with confusion of languages, and their English is excellent. In the increasingly global society we live in today, I believe that teaching my kids multiple languages is the best gift I can give them, and that in the long run they will reap the benefits of increased opportunity, empathy and exposure to different people and different cultures, and career flexibility. As an American who has had both professional and academic careers I speak from my own experience; my ability to speak a language other than English has helped me a great deal. Obviously, I believe strongly in bilingual (or multi-lingual) education and I think it is sad that many Americans are willfully ignorant of other cultures and languages. Many if not most people in this world speak more than one language. We are lucky to grow up speaking English, which is such an important language for commerce, science, law, medicine, and pretty much all other international fields. But that doesn't mean that we should focus on English to the extent that we ignore all other languages. It is possible to speak English and another language equally well, if you work at it and think it is important.
Enough of that rant. My practical advice is to make the language learning extend into as many domains as possible. When the child is a baby, it helps to have one parents speak one language and the other speak another language, but you don't have to do it that way (we didn't). Try to read books, watch videos, etc. in both languages. I usually don't let my children watch TV but I was more permissive about watching in Korean. Get involved in community groups where others speak the other language. For instance, I used to volunteer at a senior center for Asians. People from older generations often speak a bit differently and have a different range of vocabulary. Seek out other children who speak the other language, because children learn so much from social interaction with peers. And most importantly, travel as much as you can to countries where the other language is spoken. We used to travel once a year to Korea, now we are living here for a couple of years to increase the children's exposure to the language and culture. The way children play and communicate and relate is a little bit different here. But while we're here we make sure to spend at least a month every year in the US. Of course, we have the opportunity to travel like this (mostly because we both speak multiple languages) and most people do not. You have to do what works with your life and career. I don't mean to say that everyone should do it the way that we have; I just wanted to provide an example of how we have made linguistic education an important part of our lives.

My husband is Mexican-American but does not speak Spanish fluently. We'd like to teach our daughter Spanish (9 mos.) but we're having trouble deciding on the best way. I've heard that languages are best taught by someone fluent. Unfortunately, we live 1300 miles from the grandparents. Anybody else in a similar situation?

I have two kids, ages 4 and 2. Both speak Chinese and English.
I also have several friends who are in the field of speech pathology and early childhood development. This is what I have learned from them and my own experience:
1. A baby who is taught multiple languages simultaneously may start speaking a few months later than a baby in a monolingual household. However, don't let this bother you, because once the child starts speaking, he or she will quickly catch up.
An interesting fact: the typical mono-lingual baby can learn up to 9 nouns a day but a bilingual baby can learn up to 9 nouns a day in EACH LANGUAGE...basically doubling their word knowledge!
2. Consistency is very important. Try to set some basic rules for determining when each language will be spoken. In my house, I speak to my children exclusively in Chinese while my husband speaks to our children in English. Other families I know speak one language when at home and another language (usually English) when out in public. It doesn't matter what rules you set, as long as they are clearly defined and you stick to them.
As others have mentioned, kids are very good at picking up context and will quickly learn when and with whom to use which language.
3. If you live in an English-speaking country, I would put more emphasis on the non-English language at home. Unless you live in a very insular community (ex: Spanish-speaking barrio, "Little Saigon", etc.), your kids will have more than enough exposure to English from school, their friends, and television.
4. At some point (usually after they start school), children will listen to you speak in one language (ex: Spanish) but try to reply to you in English. While this is OK, if it continues for a long period of time, your kids may grow up only understanding Spanish but not knowing how to speak.
My husband is like that -- while he understands a great deal of Vietnamese (enough to watch a Vietnamese movie), because he was never encouraged/required to speak or reply in Vietnamese when growing up, he can't speak it as an adult.
Hope this helps. I wish all of you who are trying raise multi-lingual children the best of luck! :)

In answer to your question - My son - 17mos - is being raised to speak English and Spanish to the best of our ability. It is our housekeeper that speaks Spanish to him because neither my dh or myself speak any spanish worth mentioning. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to communicate with him at first but he seems to be aware of which language to use. For instance, he asks the housekeeper for "la agua" and me for "water". When we are out, he tests people's language by asking them something. When he saw a woman with a mop at a mall, he pointed and said "la agua". Then when he saw a little boy with a sippy cup, he said, "water". He usually guesses right. Don't worry that teaching your child more than one language will confuse him/her. Children understand a lot more than we think they can. According to T. Berry Brazelton, a well known pediatrician, bilingual children might learn words a little slower, but the end result is worth it.

We are trying to raise our daughter bilingual in Japanese and English. Most that we have read says the best thing is for the native speaker to speak the native tongue so from the time she was born, my husband has been speaking to her only in Japanese(although he speaks English) and I only speak in English (although I speak Japanese). Studies show that while children sometimes may be a little slower in talking at first, they will soon catch up and be able to distinguish between the two. Of course, the benefits will be immeasurable. Good luck!

Hi Aida,
I'm a speech language pathologist and a parent and have had a lot of clients and students in your particular situation. From my experience, it has worked out best when families had one parent speak English and the other parent speak Spanish. This tended to help distinguish the two as different languages and avoid the "Spanglish" troubles (when they mix the two languages). As far as speaking only one (Spanish) until preschool, etc... I disagree. There's no reason your children can't learn both languages simultaneously. If they have an underlying language disorder, that's a different story with a long explanation. So keep up mostly what you are doing, but maybe have dad speak only Spanish, instead of both. Also, don't forget to make sure their books, tapes, dvd's, etc.... are in both languages. You don't need the same book or cd in each, but just mix it up. What a wonderful thing you are doing for your children! Studies show that learning two or more languages young helps with academics later in life and also for learning other languages, should they choose to. Best of luck.

I think that talking to them at home in spanish only when they are little is better. My 5 year old nefew speaks and understan perfectly both languages. we always spoke to him spanish,but he learned english from his friends or Television. Once he starts school he will be able to learn english even more. I think teaching both languages to your kids its the best thing a parent can give them. I just had twins and I'm doing the same thing.

I have a 15 month old who was born premature and should only be 12 months now, she is already speaking spanish words and even translating words from english to spanish on her own. Brainy Baby videos in spanish have helped us out tremendously, backing up what we speak at home. I speak fluent spanish where my husband speaks broken spanish but is learning fast. Also, Baby Einstien books on language helped too when the baby was six months old. Much exposure to different languages is best.

I'm a Speech Therapist and the mother of a 6 month old. Introducing both languges to a child simultaneously can be the best way to encourage bilingualism; however, try not to mix the languages. It's often helpful to create boundaries or rules for the use of each language, such as using one language only during certain times of the day or only with specific people. This helps children understand that the two language are distinct and separate. HOWEVER, If you notice your child having significant delays in his/her general langauge acquisition it is best to focus on only one language until he or she becomes fluent. Once that has happened feel free to introduce a second language using the above guidelines. Hope this was helpful!

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